Alessandro Vannini
- Head of Structural Biology Research Centre, Structural biology
- Research Group Leader, Vannini Group
Alessandro Vannini is a biochemist. He heads the Centre for Structural Biology after almost 8 years as a Principal Investigator and Deputy Head of Division at the Institute of Cancer Research in London.
His laboratory focuses on structural and functional analisys of large macromolecular complexes assembling around RNA Pol III loci and that play a role in gene expression and structural organization of the eukaryotic genome. These mechanisms are often deregulated in human diseases, such as cancer and congenital neurodegenerative diseases.
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Publications
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07/2017 - Nature Communications
Molecular mechanisms of Bdp1 in TFIIIB assembly and RNA polymerase III transcription initiation
Initiation of gene transcription by RNA polymerase (Pol) III requires the activity of TFIIIB, a complex formed by Brf1 (or Brf2), TBP (TATA-binding protein), and Bdp1. TFIIIB is required for recruitment of Pol III and to promote the transition from a closed to an open Pol III pre-initiation complex, a process dependent on the activity […]
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12/2015 - Cell
Redox Signaling by the RNA Polymerase III TFIIB-Related Factor Brf2
TFIIB-related factor 2 (Brf2) is a member of the family of TFIIB-like core transcription factors. Brf2 recruits RNA polymerase (Pol) III to type III gene-external promoters, including the U6 spliceosomal RNA and selenocysteine tRNA genes. Found only in vertebrates, Brf2 has been linked to tumorigenesis but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We have solved crystal […]
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09/2012 - Biochim Biophys Acta
A structural perspective on RNA polymerase I and RNA polymerase III transcription machineries
RNA polymerase I and III are responsible for the bulk of nuclear transcription in actively growing cells and their activity impacts the cellular biosynthetic capacity. As a consequence, RNA polymerase I and III deregulation has been directly linked to cancer development. The complexity of RNA polymerase I and III transcription apparatuses has hampered their structural […]
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02/2012 - Molecular Cell
Conservation between the RNA polymerase I, II, and III transcription initiation machineries
Recent studies of the three eukaryotic transcription machineries revealed that all initiation complexes share a conserved core. This core consists of the RNA polymerase (I, II, or III), the TATA box-binding protein (TBP), and transcription factors TFIIB, TFIIE, and TFIIF (for Pol II) or proteins structurally and functionally related to parts of these factors (for […]
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10/2010 - Cell
Molecular basis of RNA polymerase III transcription repression by Maf1
RNA polymerase III (Pol III) transcribes short RNAs required for cell growth. Under stress conditions, the conserved protein Maf1 rapidly represses Pol III transcription. We report the crystal structure of Maf1 and cryo-electron microscopic structures of Pol III, an active Pol III-DNA-RNA complex, and a repressive Pol III-Maf1 complex. Binding of DNA and RNA causes […]
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